Recent Publications
- Wilhelm, F. M. 2009. Pollution of aquatic ecosystems I. In: Gene E. Likens, Editor, Encyclopedia of Inland waters. Volume 3, 110-119. Oxford: Elsevier.
- Wilhelm, F. M. and Venarsky, M. P. 2009. Variation in gnathopod morphology of cave amphipods and its use in determination of sex. Journal of Crustacean Biology 29: 26-33.
- Venarsky, M. P., Anderson, F. E. and Wilhelm, F. M. 2008. Population genetic study of the U.S. federally listed Illinois cave amphipod, Gammarus acherondytes. Conservation Genetics. DOI: 10.1007/s10592-008-9579-0
- Parker, B. R., Schindler, D. W., Wilhelm, F. M., Donald, D. B. 2007. Bull trout population response to reductions in angler effort and retention limits. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 27: 848-859.
- Wilhelm, F. M., Closs, G. P., and Burns, C. W. 2007. The seasonal diet of juvenile common bully in a coastal South Island, New Zealand, lake. Hydrobiologia 586: 303-312.
Scholarship Activities
"Determining the role of Mysis relicta in the cycling of nutrients in the pelagic zone of Lake Pend Oreille" Bayview, Idaho, USA, Jan. 2009 - March 2012
The goals of this research are to quantify the role that the introduced species,
Mysis relicta – a small crustacean shrimp – plays in the vertical transport of nutrients in the Lake Pend Oreille ecosystem. Because of the lake's great depth (>350 m), shrimp migrating to the surface should have empty guts and thus not contribute to nutrient regeneration while in surface waters. Night time feeding at the surface with subsequent downward migration at dawn represents the net export of material from surface waters. This material then is unavailable for the production in surface waters. Our goal is quantify the nutrients exported via mysids.
"Investigating the mechanism by which long-distance circulation reduces or mitigates harmful algal blooms in lakes and reservoirs" Heppner, Oregon, USA, June 2008 - Dec. 2011
The goal of this research is to understand the mechanism(s) by which long distance circulators prevent or mitigate harmful algal blooms in lakes and reservoirs. With an increasing world population, but limited amounts of freshwaters, we must safeguard and restore, where possible, the water available to us. Our land use activities increase the transport of nutrients into receiving water bodies, often resulting in unbalanced conditions that provide ideal conditions algae that from unsightly and often dangerous blooms. Under certain conditions, species are favored that produce the most potent toxins known to humans, which is of special concern in reservoirs and lakes which serve as drinking water supplies or recreational purposes. A company has designed a solar-powered machine to circulate water that mitigates or prevents such blooms, but the mechanism(s) by which it works are not fully understood. Our research aims to address this knowledge gap.
"Establishing a laboratory rearing protocol for the endangered Illinois cave amphipod to aid its recovery" Waterloo, Illinois, USA, July 2007 - Dec. 2012
The goal of this research are to determine the conditions under which this endangered species can be kept and propagated in the laboratory. Ultimately this will allow researchers to establish an artificial population to procure individuals for use in stress tests to determine which environmental parameters and concentrations are lethal to it. This will allow managers to provide defensible minimum water quality criteria for areas where the amphipod occurs to aid its long-term survival and ultimately its recovery from endangered status.
Outreach & Engagement Activities
- Assessment of Two (2) Private Landowner’s ponds with Limnology class, Geneses, Idaho, Latah County, Fall 2008.
- Science of Buffer strips / presentation to Bonner Co ad hoc committee reviewing proposed changes to county codes, Sandpoint, Idaho, Bonner County, May 29, 2008.
- Assessment of Private Landowner’s pond with Limnology class, Kendrick, Idaho, Clearwater County, Fall 2007.
*See CV for full listing of publications and scholarship activities.